A Brighter Life on Earth
by Purplepineapple11
Summary: Emily Green Winters didn't expect, when waking up in her cell that morning, that she'd be stepping on Earth with 99 other deliquents. Arrested for killing her mother a week after her father's death, her past wasn't looking so bright. So, she wanted to make the most of this second chance, and leave her complicated and hurtful history behind her, in space, while she lived, on Earth.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

 _ **3...2...1…. Separation successful**_ **. The dropship tumbled and shook as it was ejected, flying away from the Ark. Emily couldn't hide the look of utter disbelief, anxiousness and fear on her face.** _ **I am going to Earth.**_

Three hours ago, Emily Green Winters was locked inside her lonely, grim cell, with nothing to do but think. She thought of the four walls keeping her prisoner, of the disgusting food forced upon her three times a day, of her squeaking bed in which she lay, thinking. Of course, she also thought of the day it all happened; the day she committed a crime for which the guilt was weighing her down, slowly chewing at her soul. Although, she preferred burying any memories of that day deep down into her subconscious.

Carefully sitting on her thin, grey mattress, Emily closed her emerald eyes and drew a long breath. She tried to push away the images of her dying mother, covered in blood, screaming in pain, taking her last, shaky breath. All the guards who brought her slime everyday were well aware that she was in for the murder of her own mother, but they didn't know the whole story. No one knew of the cuts and bruises she received that day, of the hysterical look in her mother's eyes, of the violent arms hitting her over, and over, and over, and over again. Until Emily couldn't take it anymore. Until she had decided to fight back.

 _The poor girl pushed her wild mother away, and stumbling behind her, she hit her head on the corner of the sturdy table. It' s a stupid way to die, really, but watching it unroll before your eyes makes it much more horrifying. She knelt beside Juliette Green, a waterfall of tears on her face, mumbling, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry mom". She stroked her mother's golden hair, sitting on the cold ground, letting tears fall while repeating those three words which seemed not to mean anything anymore, until the guards who had heard her previous screams barged into their one room home._

Her trembling hands shook away the memories and she stood up in a rush to forget. But thoughts of her father now replaced those of her mom. Oh, how she had loved him, always smiling or laughing, picking her up, making jokes, ensuring her happiness. Oliver Winters had been a great man, full of life and joy. He worked in a lab with other mathematicians calculating and going over equations and numbers ensuring the safety of their home in space, his optimism and persistent good humor bringing life to his colleagues.

 _One night, though, coming back from work, his smile was nowhere to be found. She remembered him slouching onto the simple couch, a look of concern painted over his normally lighthearted features. Her, at the time, serene, sober and joyful mother wasn't home yet so she sat there next to him, embraced him and asked with her sweet 15-year-old voice, what was wrong. He informed her that he found a flaw in Oxygen Support. The Ark only had about three years of air left._

 _A week later, she found him in his office, a limp body hanging from a tied rope. Everyone assumed it was suicide._

 _Her mother buried her feelings and tried to forget her husband's passing with illegal moonshine. Every day she got worse, drowning in alcohol and sorrow, grieving with a bottle. Emily started to notice her mother came home later than usual, looking more tired each morning. Two weeks had passed since the…... event, and the young girl composed herself; she thought more clearly and the pain was starting to subside ever so slightly. On the other hand, Mrs. Green was getting worst. She drank, for breakfast, lunch and dinner, barely feeding her body._

 _That's when it happened; when she attacked her daughter. She turned into a wild monster, blaming Emily for her husband's death, clawing at her, fists flying at her face. In self-defense, Emily ended up killing her own mom. The guilt that drowned her entire being couldn't even begin to be described, and she almost begged the jury to be imprisoned, claiming she deserved it; that she deserved death._

So, there she was, two years later, waiting for the end; thinking

It had been a normal Tuesday of sitting, standing and eating, up until guards barged unannounced into her cell.

"Face the wall and hold out your arms," one of them recited with a boring tone, as if they'd been repeating it all day.

"What's going on? It's not my time yet, what's happening?" Emily asked, concerned and worried, this didn't make sense. They strapped a metallic wristband onto her right arm, biting her skin like needles. As she inspected the object, the guards guided her outside onto the deck of the Sky Box. This was the jail for delinquents since the council had the decency to wait until they were eighteen to float them. Emily's confusion worsened when she saw multiple youngsters were being led out of their cells, and everything looked orderly chaotic. This was one of the rare times she ever got a good look at this prison; being in solitary meant you only get to go outside to shower twice a week, and even then, it was surrounded by armed soldiers and in a hurry.

The guards tugged her along making her change clothes and shoes. She slipped into a red jacket, pulling out her dirty blond hair and tying it up in a high ponytail with a green ribbon that matched her wide eyes. All around her, other teenagers were also putting on new clothes; _what is going on?_ Conversations of guards overlapped, but one single word slipped and found its way to her ears; Earth.

 **Author's note:**

 **Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Just to clarify things if it's a little confusing in the order of events, it goes as such: Father finds flaw, one week later he dies, Mother drinks after his death, around two weeks after his death, she attacks her daughter and dies. This is when Emily is 15, and she spends two years in the Sky Box.**

 **What's in italic is the memories of two years before.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Hey! So, this is my first ever fanfic, and I will update every day for the first 4 chapters, but it might take about a week for a chapter after that!**

Chapter 2

Emily was now in the dropship, surrounded by complete strangers who looked about her age, and just as anxious as she did. Although, some of them looked _exited_. Like they wanted to go to the Ground and discover. It probably also had something to do with the fact they wouldn't spend their days rotting in a cell… Honestly, she kind of felt exited as well. But as soon as she imagined herself freely roaming Earth, having adventures, the guilt hit her full force. She wasn't supposed to be free, to be pardoned, because no matter how many people forgave her, she couldn't forgive herself.

Chancellor Jaha had just delivered his little speech about how they were _expendable,_ and it was clear Emily was the part of a very small group of people that actually thought that about themselves, or at least, she wanted to, for her mother. Jaha continued talking about their drop site, and where they had to go for food and supplies; Mount Weather. If they survived the landing, it would come in handy. Her thoughts were concentrated on wondering what Earth would really be like. Picturing green forests, blue waters, fresh air… Her daydream was interrupted by shouts.

"Space bandit strikes again!" Some idiot had unbuckled his seatbelt and was floating around. He would regret it soon enough, when he would realize this 'fun' zero-gravity effect wouldn't last forever. Rolling her green eyes, Emily noticed that two others were trying to follow the guy they called Finn. An authoritative blonde scolded them right away, "Hey, you two, stay put if you wanna live," without much success.

After some small talk between the short blonde and Finn, the ship started to jostle and shake. Yells erupted all around the metal tin can as it rattled and swayed, lifting Emily's stomach and making it drop again, her eyes wide in fear. _If you die, it's okay,_ she silently told herself. The mischievous spacewalkers were sent flying into the side of the ship, splitting giant wires with their unconscious bodies. More screams were heard and the ship took its final tumble. Silence.

"Listen," she heard someone say and turned her head to spot an Asian guy, "no machine hum."

"Woah. That's a first," completed his friend, voicing Emily's own thoughts.

Everyone rushed to unclick their seatbelts, rising quickly and running in a herd to the ladder in the middle of the floor. Emily took her time, fear getting the better half of her, but something inside her gut urged her to hurry, to get a look at the Ground they were finally on. Following the others down the ladder, she was surprised to see they hadn't opened the door yet. A tall, tanned skin man with dark brown hair slicked back with gel was facing the lever, ready to pull. The delinquents held their breaths. A single, small and unsure sounding voice coming from behind Emily cut through the silence. "Bellamy?"

A small tanned skin girl with dark brown eyes that matched her hair ran towards the man at the outer door. _They sort of look alike._ Then the dots connected. "That's the girl they hid under the floors!" someone from the crowd said, full of curiosity. This was indeed Octavia Blake, the only girl on the Ark with a brother, Bellamy Blake, who received her in a warm embrace.

"Look how big you are," he smiled with a proud look on his dark face; he clearly loved her. They caught up on some small talk, while everyone watched, interested. From what she gathered, Bellamy wasn't a real guard, like his uniform said, and he wasn't one of the prisoners either. _Why is he here?_ The feisty blonde decided to appear then, asking about the older Blake's wristband, which clearly was non-existent or had been taken off.

"Do you mind?" cut off his sister, "I haven't seen my brother in a year." The rest of the herd of teenagers finally put two and two together and yelling voices overlapped while they all shouted about her being the famous Octavia Blake; the second child. An angry look crossed her soft features as she began to run towards them, probably to give them a piece of her mind.

" Octavia, Octavia, no." Her brother stopped her in her tracks, an assuring hand on her shoulder, "Let's give them something else to remember you by."

"Yeah? Like What?" she looked up, eager to know.

"Like being the first person on the ground in a hundred years."

She nodded excitingly, slowly stepping forward, her gaze on the large metal door her brother was opening. Gradually, a bright yellow, _natural_ light started to seep in as it lazily gaped wider and wider. When the process was finished, all was still. It was beautiful. Emily stood near the front of the group, fingers twitching in anticipation. What she saw took her breath away. Literally, for a second there, she forgot how to breath. Green was everywhere, covered in golden light. She recognized the tall cylinders reaching for the sky as trees, and where they were sinking into the ground, there was grass and dirt. Actual dirt. Time stopped, her heart pumped in its cage, her eyes widened and stared. The gorgeous sight looked like one of the pictures from her Earth Skills manuals, the limits of the dropship doors framing it.

Gazing at the scenery in front of her, Octavia stepped out, jumping onto the dirt, eyes filled with wonder. Her arms were thrown in the air as she yelled, "We're back bitches!" Everyone but Emily screamed and ran out crazily, thirsty for freedom. She lingered back and took her time, taking it all in as if she didn't have much time. Who knew, maybe she didn't. Her steps were slow and heavy, her incredulous face looked up and down multiple times, just to make sure it was all as beautiful as it seemed. And beautiful it was. She suddenly felt a chilly air, brushing against her red cheeks, flowing in her dark blond hair. She was on the edge of the platform, the door's frame no longer limiting her view. The sun shined on her face, warming it up with a golden glow of light. She took a big breath, taking in the freshest air she had ever smelled. It felt clean, and cold, yet warm and comforting in her lungs; a sweet aroma of the forest surrounding her.

Emily stayed there, inches next to the ground, for what seemed like hours. She was so focused and fascinated by of the world around her she didn't notice the presence of a tanned man in the shadows beside her. He watched her intently, in all her serenity, but made no comment. Slowly, Emily moved her right foot forward, apprehensively approaching the ground. Then, she jumped. She felt as if she'd just landed in heaven, and wondered if she had indeed died in that dropship. But the yelling and frantic other teenagers brought her back to reality. This was reality. _I am on the Ground._

Leaves all around her danced in the small, almost unnoticeable breeze, still tingling her awed face. Deciding to finally act like the others and go crazy, she ran to her left, to an empty spot, and stopped when she bumped on a tree. The bark was coarse and moist, as she ran her slim fingers along its trunk. Her eyes, still thirsty and wanting to take absolutely everything in, roamed around, landing on a small bush at her feet, with colorful leaves. _Flowers_ , she guessed. Blue and radiant, they swayed with the waltzing air, calling Emily to come and feel the softness of their petals. And so she did.

Completely mesmerized by the sky colored plants in front of her, Emily barely noticed the dramatic tension occurring behind her. Of course, there had to be fights, they were all below minors. She followed that some guys were picking on Jaha's son, Wells, very famous but disliked by the workers. She saw the short blonde stand up for him. Clarke, he called her, a council member's daughter. More fights and suspenseful moments took place, and Emily plunged back into her thoughts of the gorgeous flowers laying on her knees.

Staring at this scenery, Emily realized something; she was being given another chance. Whether it was fate or a sign or purely coincidental, she was given the opportunity not only to survive, but to _live_. And she felt, with all her heart, that her mother would have wanted her to thrive. She wasn't ready to forgive herself, not yet, but she knew she wouldn't give up on her own life, because, maybe, just maybe, she _did_ deserve to live after all.

Suddenly, she was interrupted by a call that caught her by surprise. "Hey, Green!" a girl yelled. Emily abruptly swung around, eyes scanning for the source of such a call. "Yeah, you!" pointed the famous Octavia, "with the green ribbon…" _Oh so they_ don't _know my name, thank god._ While Emily was still staring at them with wide eyes, Octavia puffed and exaggeratingly moved her arms in a way to motion: come here already! The older girl apprehensively and cautiously stood and slid her feet towards the group. _What on earth could they want from me?_ When she finally reached the group, five pairs of expecting spectacles stared at her. "So, what's your name?" the sister asked, seeming genuinely interested.

The other girl hesitated before barely whispering, "Emily. Emily Green Winters."

"Huh," the Blake smiled, "guess my nickname was more on point than I thought. Well, Emily, you're coming with us."

"What? where?" fear swallowed her body and panic reached her eyes.

"Mount Weather," interjected Clarke, who, had been standing there the whole time with the Finn guy, as well as the Asian and his friend. "They dropped us on the wrong damn mountain."

 **Author's note:**

 **Hope you liked it!**

 **Howling2themoon: First ever comment! Yay! Thanks for the motivation, hope you stick around for the story**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note:**

 **Sorry for the delay, had a bit of a** _ **technical**_ **issue there…. But I will update two chapters today to make up for it!**

Chapter 3

"So, you're a Green too?" said a guy named Monty, smiling with complicity. Common last names were pretty rare on the Ark because of the 'no siblings' thing, and people with the same surnames had the same ancestors from back when the Ark first came into orbit.

"Guess I am, with an additional second last name." Emily couldn't help but grin back, even slightly; shyly looking at her feet while she did. Monty radiated this friendly warmth she didn't know how to ignore.

"So, Em," interjected the brown-haired goofball, "how old are you?"

"17 and a couple months."

"Hey! Us too!" Jasper motioned for her to high five him, then, when she took too long, he hit his own hand, pouting disappointedly.

"Any family? Up there, on the Ark?" Monty asked with a soft voice full of curiosity.

"No." She replied as her face grew dark. She stared at the ground and walked faster, trying to avoid this kind of conversation. Emily tended to close herself off when she was sad or mad or felt any real negative emotion. Actually, she just closed herself off when talking to people. Emily never really had any friends, and she found it hard to just _talk_. Slamming both her hands in her red pockets, she was practically running to join the front of the group, ignoring the two boys chatting with Finn and Octavia. She kept on walking when Clarke turned around to tell them to hurry, and her feet carried her far from any conversation.

Suddenly, something caught her eyes, finally unglued from her dirty boots. An _animal_. She didn't really recognize what it was from her manuals, maybe a horse or a zebra… No, no, this was a _deer_. She remembered now. They were graceful forest creatures, leaping and running away from danger for most of their lives.

There it stood, in all its glory, just a couple feet from her. Its nose was stuffed in the high grass, mouth chewing and eating, savoring the plant. Tall, strong antlers rose from its skull, reaching for the sky, twisting and dancing above it.

Emily noticed the others grouping around her, in awe as they silently joined her, admiring the beauty of nature.

"No animals, huh?" she heard Finn whisper before he slowly inched his right leg forward, cautiously approaching the creature. He took a step. Two steps. They held their breaths. On the third step, his foot thumped down on a cracking branch, the sound resonating in Emily's ears, and the surprised deer abruptly lifted its head. Silence. A few seconds passed before the animal turned its gaze towards the group. That's when they all saw it and gasped in horror.

It had two heads. They were joined, infected skin linking them together in a melted mix. Such an atrocity almost made Emily want to throw up, but she managed to keep everything inside, as she, along with the rest of the shocked teenagers, began to move again.

This time, she walked at the end of the group, along with Jasper and Monty.

"So, Em, you didn't tell us, what'd you do to get into that dropship?" Jasper smiled childishly. Finally, it was here; the dreaded question. Emily debated telling them the truth for a moment, and then decided against it; she knew she needed and wanted to survive, she owed it to her mother. She was given a second chance, and she wouldn't let it go to waste; she would live, _for mom_. And so, to survive, she didn't want to be known as a murderer and be banished or killed without them hearing the whole story, and that would take too long to explain.

She settled with, "I got arrested."

Jasper answered with a grin, "Well, obviously, yeah! But what'd you do to get arrested?"

"It's complicated," she replied honestly.

"You're not much of a talker, are you?" his companion gently said, the corner of his mouth rising in sympathy. "Doesn't matter, you don't have to tell us, it's all in the past now anyway."

"Yeah, I guess it is."

After a few more minutes of walking silently, Finn asked a question most of the curious teenagers from the dropship had asked themselves, "Hey, you know what I'd like to know? Why send us down today after ninety-seven years?"

"Who cares?" chirped in Octavia, "I'm just glad they did. I woke up in a cell and now I'm spinning in a forest!" She gripped a tree and twirled around it, in an obvious attempt to get spacewalker's attention.

Monty suggested something about a satellite or something they found on Earth, until Clarke interrupted him. "It wasn't a satellite." Emily knew what she was talking about, but had no idea anyone else ever found out about the oxygen support flaw. She thought that secret had died with her father and her own imprisonment in solitary two years ago. Continuing to listen, she wanted to be sure that was what she was talking about before she talked herself. "The Ark is dying. At the current population level, there's roughly three months left of life support, maybe four now that we're gone."

Wide eyed, Emily blurted out, "You knew too?"

"What do you mean too? I thought only the council was aware of my father's discovery."

" _Your_ father? My dad found the flaw two years ago. He only ever told Jaha and me."

"What? There was no trace of that anywhere. Why didn't he talk to other engineers? Why didn't he tell anyone? My father found it last year. We thought it was for the first time, your father could have saved precious time!" Clarke started to steam, apparently, her father was a touchy subject and she truly cared for the wellbeing of the Ark.

With such anger directed towards her for no reason, Emily defended herself by getting just as mad, almost screaming, "He died that week! Killed himself 6 days after telling me." She lowered her eyes, getting blurry with tears, her face red in anger and shame.

"Oh, sorry," she looked down too, "I didn't know." There was an awkward pause as everyone just waited. "So, Jaha put you in solitary?"

"Yeah. But I got arrested for a different reason. When Jaha told my father to stay quiet for the moment, my dad told me not to say anything, or they would float me. So, he just followed the Chancellor's orders. A week later, he committed suicide, no one really knew why, but I think it was just too big of a secret for him to keep, and he couldn't go public and risk my life and mom's. I never really considered going public myself, thinking it was all going to be sorted out within the next few months, and I had to take care of mom; I couldn't risk acting all rebellious and get myself arrested. When my dad died, I don't think Jaha even knew I was aware of the flaw, but when he had the chance to arrest me, he locked me up in solitary. I guess he thought he might as well just get rid of the whole family once and for all. I didn't really think about it again, too preoccupied with… well, the reason I got arrested."

When Emily finally raised her eyes, everyone stared at her, shocked at what she had revealed and that she could utter that many words at a time. Trying to change the subject and turn their attention off her, she offered a small, "So what happened when your father discovered the flaw?"

Shaking her head as if to jump out of a reverie, Clarke answered, "My father was an engineer who, well _re_ discovered the flaw. He thought the people had a right to know. The Council disagreed. My mother disagreed. They thought it would cause a panic, probably the same reason Jaha gave your dad. We were going to go public, anyway, when Wells…"

"What?" asked Monty, intrigued by this whole situation, "turned in your dad?"

A moment of silence occurred as compassion arose for the blonde. "Anyways, the guard showed up before we could. That's why today. That's why it was worth the risk. Even if we all die, at least they bought themselves more time."

Suddenly realizing the cause and effect of the situation, Emily found herself feeling stupid for not figuring it out sooner, or taking the flaw seriously all those years ago. "But not enough. And if we can't communicate and tell them we can live here…"

"They're gonna kill more people, aren't they?" the intellectual Monty said more than asked, concerned.

"Good," added Octavia in a serious tone. She seemed nice but she was starting to get on Emily's nerves, always flirting or being the rebellious girl. "After what they did to me, I say, float them all."

"You don't mean that," said Jasper. Emily was starting to grow affectionate towards him though, there could even be a chance for friendship hanging in the air between them. He rushed after brunette, obviously following his little crush.

Emily stayed behind and looked over at a concentrated Monty. "I should've taken this more seriously. It's my fault, I mean, if I had warned them before maybe they could have found another solution…"

"Hey," he grasped both her rigid shoulders making her face him. "This is _not_ your fault, you couldn't have known. Don't blame yourself for things that were out of your control, okay?"

She shyly nodded at him, not quite persuaded but the words resonating in her mind. _Don't blame yourself for things you couldn't control_.

 **Author's note:**

 **Howling2themoon: Thanks, and enjoy reading, this is gonna be a loooong one (If I have the courage and endurance to actually finish it…)**

 **Mereryan: Glad you like it, and have hope in this story not turning out into a disaster!**

 **Next chapter will come along either…. Today!**

 **Then, however, I will try to update once a week.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**

 **Chapter 4, as promised!**

Chapter 4

They continued walking together in silence, the steady rhythm of their thudding boots accompanying the sweet melody of chirping birds and waltzing leaves. Emily turned her attention back towards the nature around her, attempting to take every inch of every tree in and engrave it in her memories forever. The beauty of it all was just too much for her not to look at. In fact, she was so concentrated on watching her surroundings that she bumped into a quite distracted Jasper. She muttered a 'sorry' before looking at the object of his staring: Octavia.

She had slipped off her pants and was preparing to jump into what seemed like a _river._ The flow of thousands of liters of water clashing against the rocks continued up and down as far as the eye could reach. She had never seen this much liquid in the same area, only accessing rationed water to quiet the constant thirst sitting at the bottom of her throat.

The brunette looked behind her with a flirty smile, probably directed towards Finn, although Jasper was about to drool over it, and jumped. Emily franticly ran to the edge of the boulder. _Why did she jump? She'll drown!_

"We can't swim!" Monty said, concerned. They were all on the edge, cautiously watching her as she rose.

"No, but we can stand." Her mischievous grin spread around the group as they all started to undress.

Jasper's fearful voice broke the relaxed ambiance, "Octavia, get out of the water!" Clarke repeated the order as the poor brunette turned to spot a shape speeding towards her through the water. Suddenly, she was pulled under the surface, screaming, by what seemed like a giant snake. She struggled to stay above the water, being dragged around like a rag doll.

"Octavia," Emily screamed. Sure, she disliked the girl, but _no one_ deserves to die like this. "Just hang on!" She said worryingly, gazing at her surroundings trying to find a solution. Thank God, Clarke was there.

"If we distract it, it might let her go." She headed towards rocks on the edge of the boulder, pushing one of them into the water with all her strength. "Help me."

Soon they were all on it, and it rolled into the river. The long eel instantaneously slithered to the new object in its territory and paid no attention to its victim for a minute.

"Octavia get to the shore!" She looked exhausted, panting and heaving air into her water-filled lungs; she wasn't going to make it.

"Hurry Octavia, you can do it!" Emily shouted desperately; anguish covering her words while she tried to stop tears from falling. She wouldn't be responsible for another death. About to jump in the water after her, she was stopped with a splash. Jasper had apparently had the same idea.

Tension crisped the warm air, as they struggled in the water, barely staying afloat.

"It's coming back, it's headed right for you guys."

With a lot of effort, the brave boy pulled them both out of harm's way. Emily released a breath she didn't know she was holding and almost laughed out of relief. Octavia's bloody leg lied safely on the rock, and she leaned in to leave a kiss on Jasper's cheek.

"Note to self. Next time, save the girl." Monty's comment relieved the tension as the group giggled shakily and all started to loosen up.

About an hour after the giant snake involved incident, the teenagers spotted the setting sun and decided to camp next to the river for the night, a little far away from its shore, though; just to be safe. Before settling into her cozy corner against a bulky trunk, Emily decided to try and be nice.

"Hey," she smiled and crossed to Octavia, who grinned back at her with all her teeth. "I'm glad you're okay."

"So am I," she joked but her face expressed gratefulness so sincere it warmed Emily's heart. Nodding, she returned to her make-shift bed and laid down, falling asleep faster than she expected.

"Mom?" she saw a limping figure lumber towards her from the shadows of her room on the Ark. "Is that you?" She recognized her deformed mother's face covered in blood and yet she could still identify the pure disappointment in her harmed eyes.

"You really think you deserve to live? After what you've done? You're a murderer, Emily, you _killed_ me! Your own mother. And now you think you get to be happy? Enjoy life while I'm _dead because of you_!"

"Mom, I'm sorry." she sobbed, her vision blurry and her limbs numb. "I'm so sorry."

Suddenly, her mother wasn't limping anymore. She raced to her daughter, a dangerous look in her eyes, her face twisted in an evil smile. Then, Emily woke up.

Always the same three dreams. This one, the one with her mother, sweet and gentle, before she turned to moonshine, and the one with her father. Every night she didn't know which one she would get, which one would scare her half to death or make her heart cry in agony and sorrow.

Feeling a reassuring hand on her shoulder, Emily swung her head, identifying a worried Monty in the obscure twilight. "Hey, don't cry, it's over, you were just dreaming."

"No!" she whimpered, still shaken, "she was right, I don't deserve it. I don't deserve to live anymore. How could I even think that for one second?" Closing her eyes, her hiccups splitting her breaths, she sniffled and sighed.

"Look. Whatever you did, everyone deserves to live. No matter how guilty you feel, you have to keep going, you have to survive and eventually thrive. Because that's what life is; when it knocks you down, you get back up, and you don't dare for one second even think you don't _deserve_ to live. You do. Always."

Emily looked up through strands of light chestnut hair, surprised by the sincerity of his words and the strength in his voice, pushing her to keep going and move forward. She took control of her emotions and thought, _that's not her, she would want me to live, she loves me, she can forgive me._

"What if I don't know how to forgive myself, for what I've done?" her murmur broke the lasting silence.

"You learn how." And that was all she needed. Her small, gentle head nodded swiftly but surely, the light of his word shining through her nightmarish black. _He's right,_ she thought, _I do deserve it, I deserve it…_ She kept humming those words in her head until they were nothing but a sigh drowning in her sleep.

Waking up the next morning, Emily was sure of two things; she was going to survive and live, because she deserved it, and she had her first ever friend, Monty Green. Those two thoughts elicited a smile from her lips and strength she didn't know she had. He greeted her with a grin and a nod when she opened her eyes, so she went over to him and said a small "Thank you," barely above a whisper.

He simply bowed his head and replied, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." He paused. "Feel better?"

"Yeah, thanks to you." When he was about to humbly join the others, she grabbed his arm, staring into the dark pools of his eyes and declared, "I'm going to live Monty." That sentence seemed to lift his heart and create a new light in his irises. They both stepped in sync towards the vines the others had assembled to go across the deadly river. No way they were making that mistake again.

Finn looked ready to go, but held back by what seemed like fear. _Huh, maybe spacewalker isn't so brave after all_. Clarke was thinking the exact same thing, "You wanted to go first, now quit stalling."

"Mount Weather awaits," he replied his voice filled with excitement but his stance not budging.

"Just hang on till the apogee and you'll be fine," chimed in Jasper, eager to get his turn.

Pretending to look confused, Finn asked, "The apogee, like the Indians, right?" Emily couldn't help but roll her eyes at such a response.

"Apogee, not apache," answered the goofball with goggles bouncing on his curls.

"He knows. Today Finn," Clarke demanded, the tiniest hint of laughter in her voice.

"Aye aye captain! See you on the other side!" Leaning back, he prepared to make the jump. They all gazed up at him expectantly, awaiting his grand leap.

"Wait!" all eyes turned to a shy, but determined Jasper. "Let me. I can do it." Emily noticed the sideways glance he sneaked towards Octavia. _Of course, he's doing this to impress her_. She couldn't help a small smile from forming on her lips.

"I knew there was a badass in there somewhere!"

A hesitant Goggle Boy was gathering the courage to jump over a giant snake infested river hanging on to a vine. "Hey, it's okay to be afraid, Jasper. The trick is not fighting it."

Nodding his head quickly, he smirked and repeated, "See you on the other side!" Then, he was swinging over the waters, shouting out and being applauded, until he landed with a thud on the opposite shore.

Shouts of joy and congratulation erupted from all around Emily, and she let out a loud, "Yeah Jasper, you did it!" A decrepit sign with the words _Mount Weather_ inscribed, was held by his triumphant arms as yells and laughter continued to be voiced by the group of teenagers.

It felt as if a weight had been lifted off her chest, and for the first time in a while, Emily felt something she didn't fully recognize at first. She felt happy. A wide smile radiated on her face as she kept cheering alongside the others.

A stick-like object abruptly appeared out of nowhere from behind her, whizzing through the air, and before she could identify what it was or where it had come from, she was staring at a pale Jasper, his own eyes fixed on the spear impaled right through his chest. He stumbled, feet numb and legs weak, until he collapsed on the ground.

"Jasper!" they all yelled, more out of shock than fear. Realizing this might not be the only weapon heading their way, the teenagers ran for cover, hiding behind a boulder near the river's edge. Emily's hand brushed the rock she rushed for cover. She suddenly felt a burning pain shot in her left arm, but kept running to shelter.

Once she was the safest she could be in such a situation, she noticed she felt tingling streams drip down her limb. She tried to brush the liquid away, before looking to see smeared blood over her slashed skin, showing raw flesh. She ignored the other's wide eyes staring at her and then gazing fearfully at the trees, as she blinked her stinging eyes shut.

"We are not alone."

 **Author's note:**

 **Ooooooohhh suspense!**

 **Unfortunately, I'm still in the writing process for the next chapter, so you'll have to wait a couple days…**


End file.
